58 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



ously to the introduction of any measure into Parliament his sanction 

 be obtained. Should he refuse his sanction, and the measure be of 

 sufficient importance to warrant such a consequence, he may, should 

 he think proper, change his administration, or they may, should they 

 feel aggrieved, tender their resignation ; but in no case can they be 

 justified in submitting a measure to Parliament without the cog- 

 nisance of the Governor." 



A subsequent paragraph, in which His Excellency specially 

 disclaims any desire to interfere with the arrangements of the 

 Ministry, or to be a party to their consultations, was hardly taken 

 seriously, especially as it was followed by a clause in which he 

 intimated that he would " insist " on the principles of the Constitu- 

 tion being maintained, quoting prominently the clause which vested 

 all appointments to public offices in him, with the advice of the 

 Executive Council. With a well-founded apprehension of what might 

 be the outcome of party strife, he formally warned his advisers that 

 he would " not be a party to the appointment of a person whose sole 

 recommendation maybe the advocacy of certain political principles ". 



Whether these somewhat imperious conditions were accepted 

 by a so-called Eepresentative Ministry as a quid pro quo for the 

 assurance of their pensions cannot be demonstrated from the records. 

 That such an opinion was indicated in public, and covertly expressed 

 in the Legislative Council, is certain. And if the suggestion was 

 ungenerous, it probably owed its origin to the air of concealment 

 and mystery which surrounded the proceedings. Subsequently, 

 when a debate on the Governor's minute was proceeding in the 

 Council, Mr. Haines took the defensive by declaring that when the 

 Governor's views were submitted to them, the Ministers were so 

 busy discussing their future policy that they did not take the 

 document into full consideration. They had, however, since dis- 

 cussed it, and considered it impracticable. It is almost incredible 

 that so plain-spoken a man as Sir Charles Hotham did not succeed, 

 during a whole month of discussion, in making his views clear to 

 his Executive ; or that, when they were put in writing, they should 

 have been lightly set aside as unimportant. 



It has been clearly pointed out by Professor Jenks (The Govern- 

 ment of Victoria, chap, xxii.) that the roundabout method of releasing 



